


Crash

by brotherfuckers



Series: Striderclan [100]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Accidents, Car Accidents, Fluff, Gen, Head Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Protective Striders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-15
Updated: 2014-08-15
Packaged: 2018-02-13 03:50:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2135940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brotherfuckers/pseuds/brotherfuckers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bro and the boys are just out and about for a nice drive when an idiot ruins that putting them into a very dangerous situation. (Warnings for injury and car wreck and hospitalization.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crash

“E’eryone in the car? E’eryone got e’erythin’ they need? Arms, legs, heads, dicks?”

“Yes, Bro, we managed to get into the car in one piece. We didn’t somehow detach our dicks in the store and forget to pick them up. We were just getting new phones, not that big of a deal.”

“Well I ain’t comin’ back if ya forgot somethin’ so y’all better have e’erythin’ now.”

“Even if we did leave something, we also have cars.”

“Oh, right. Then why did I hafta drive.”

“You got a new phone too.”

“Couldn’t y’all’ve picked it up for me? Ain’t that why I got ya minions?”

“But then we would have missed the fun of you calling out that one sales guy for calling keyboard phones archaic.”

“Shouldn’t have fuckin’ bought them here for that reason only. Ain’t payin’ for his commission, the asshole.”

“You are like the only one in the world who still wants a sliding keyboard on your phone. You should just get a blackberry or something.”

“And look like a square? Heck no. That’s Egbert’s deal.” Bro starts up the car and pulls out of the parking lot. He hates how the only store that had the phone color that he wanted is this far away from the apartment. He lives downtown, within walking distance of everything, for a reason. And it was just insult upon injury when the guy commented on his lamenting over the death of the keyboard. What’s wrong with not wanting to always fight with the fact that the on-screen keyboard takes up half of the screen anytime one wants to write anything. Yes, he can swype in his sleep but that’s not the point.

In the background of Bro’s mental rant he hears the brats squabbling over where to go for lunch. He hears Steak’n’Shake come up but it’s immediately shot down by the fact that they can’t show their faces there again after the mess they made in the bathroom. The rest of the fast food places are taken off the list because of grease content and why would you bother getting a salad from somewhere like that. Grocery stores are out because everyone seems to be too lazy to make their own food. They want it handed to them already cooked. Preferably warm but not heat lamped for hours. They don’t have the time for a sit down restaurant either. Chipotle is denied because Dave apparently refuses to say it correctly (pronouncing it chip-POT-all).  

Dirk manages to find a compromise with a sushi place on the way home that he can place an order to on his phone and then they just stop by and pick up. Dave makes a face until Dirk explains that they have some not-raw options. Dave grabs his phone as Dirk pulls up the app and starts putting in his requests. Dirk tells Bro to turn down a certain road instead of heading straight back for the apartment. Bro reluctantly makes the left.

He feels like he’s been down this road before but can’t place it for whatever reason. He’s staring at the stores on either side but doesn’t recognize any that he’s gone to. But that one seems like a promising remnant store that he might check out later. One of his favorite places just retired, mostly because Bro provided such steady business. How about that for thanks.

Up ahead Bro watches the next light flick to a green turn signal. He’s just far enough away that he doesn’t have to brake, he just takes his foot off of the gas and lets the car coast. The light turns green with only a couple feet to spare but Bro gives himself a congratulatory mental pat on the back.

He’s half way through the intersection when something catches his attention out of the corner of his eye. He doesn’t have any time to react except to throw an arm out across Dirk’s chest and shout for Dave to hold on. Then the front of the other car smashes into the side of their car.

It’s a loud cacophony of metal and glass and shouts. The car is viciously slammed across the road to the opposite corner of the intersection. Bro feels the whiplash course through him, knocking his body one way as his head tries to go the other. There is a bloom of pain as his elbow smacks into the door and another as his knee slammed up into the steering column, underneath the wheel. Bro sees everything almost as if in slow motion.

He sees the road slide in the wrong direction through the front windshield. He watches the web of cracks start from his side of the car and go across. More glass chunks come in from his side door to cut in front of him and bounce off the dashboard. He feels Dirk’s chest heave from all of the forces trying to toss them around underneath his arm but he manages to keep his arm strong, countering them with the help of the seat belt. He hears Dave shout from the back seat, a long drawn out note of surprise and Bro hopes and prays to everything he does and doesn’t believe in that he’s alright.

The laws of physics finally intervene and the cars come to a violent halt against the poles on the corner. Bro’s pretty sure that the other driver didn’t even think about applying brakes as now all of their momentum is flung the other way. This period doesn’t last as long just because of the conflicting forces that finally find a neutral.

The silence afterwards is almost deafening. Bro feels the ringing in his ears. Or maybe that is the concussion from hitting his head against the frame of the door.

Absently he checks his door handle but with the engine of the other car fused against it, there is no way he can get out that way. Fingers fumble with the seat belt until he remembers his other hand. He can feel Dirk shaking under his palm. He thinks he says something reassuring but he can’t hear himself. Maybe he is actually deaf. He gets his seat belt undone and pops Dirk’s undone but his doesn’t retract all the way.

He glances into the back seat and sees Dave also sitting there stunned. _I’ll be right there, hang on._ Bro looks around his seat again for an exit. The only way out seems to be forward. Bro curses his long legs but manages to get them from under the steering wheel and up to the dash. He does appreciate all of the leg exercises D put him through as he braces himself and kicks the cracked window out and away from the car.

Somewhere in the back of his head he notes that it should have made a much larger sound than that.

Bro slips out of the front window and takes in their location. The poles that they ran into seem to be still upright which is a good sign. And managed to hit the front and back of the car, not the doors. A very good sign. Bro catches movement from the driver’s side of the car that hit them and he feels rage boiling up underneath the panic and fear that has a solid grip on his heart and throat right now. He has to take a deep breath to keep from pummeling the fucker to a broken bloody mess right this moment. He manages to channel the rage into motion, going over to the car doors.

He opens Dirk’s first just because he comes upon it first. The door doesn’t open smoothly because the front of car has warped a bit from where it hit the poles, but with a slight screech of metal the hinge works. Dirk is still sitting there in shock and Bro has to shake him a bit to get some movement out of him. Dirk blinks a couple of times before shuddering hard. He grabs onto Bro’s wrists. Bro can see his lips moving but can’t hear his voice.

_Hang on, hang on, you’re alright, let’s get you out._

Bro has to untangle Dirk from the seat belt while trying not to let go of his younger brother. Dirk seems to be frantic to keep touching Bro and Bro lets him until they get a couple feet away from the car. Then there is another touch at his elbow. When Bro turns, Dave is standing there. Bro pulls both of them into an embrace.

_So glad. You’re okay. You both are okay._

He finally lets them go as Dave pulls away, turning back to the wreck. Bro has the feeling he is saying something but he still can’t hear. He finally sees the other driver coming over with his face twisted up in anger. He seems to be yelling something and gesturing wildly. Bro feels both Dave and Dirk react to him and it’s not hard to guess what the moron is thinking.

_Hey buddy, ya ran into us. Ain’t no way you’re arguin’ that. We had the green so fuck off and let the police arrest your ass. Don’t cause us any more tro-_

Bro sees the electric spark first as he can’t seem to focus on the man for more than a moment. A spark around a wrecked car that could be and possibly is bleeding out gasoline. He starts reacting to the danger even before his brain gives him the words to explain it.

Once again he feels like he slides into slow motion -a small unhelpful part of his brain offers bullet time- as he yells and shoves Dave and Dirk farther down the street with threats on their allowance if they even look back at him. Then he is running at the idiot who takes an idiotic step back towards the danger behind him. Thankfully Bro, even in his shocked shaken abused state, is still stronger than him and manages to wrestle him down the street.

Bro looks up with pride at Dave and Dirk about halfway down the block before they look back, but his heart drops when they turn with identical expressions of surprise and fear. A half second later Bro feels the push of heat against his back and he goes down with the man who crashed into them and caused all of this mess in front of him, shielded from the explosion.

Bro’s last thought before darkness is _Fuck, didn’t even get to change the background on that phone._

* * *

“Bro!” the twins scream together as their eyes burn with bright yellow and orange from the explosion. There are still spots in their visions as they race back to where they saw Bro go down.

They are quick to pat out the embers that caught on Bro’s shirt before rolling him off. The guy that he saved is in shock. Dave cradles Bro’s head in his lap as Dirk tries to get the other man to sit up to make sure he isn’t hurt severely. But it looks like there are only a couple of scrapes on his palms and knees from where he went down on the sidewalk. He doesn’t even seem to be worse for wear from the accident itself besides a faint layer of airbag dust. Bro on the other hand...

Blood covers half of his face from a head wound. Probable concussion. And possible hearing issues from the loud noises since he couldn’t hear before the explosion. Might be worse after it too. He had a couple of light burns from the embers but it didn’t look like he caught any shrapnel. They’d have to make sure later.

But for now they finally heard the sirens of emergency vehicles. No one probably called at just the wreck but the explosion definitely garnered some attention. An ambulance and a firetruck arrive at the same time with police right on their tail. The firefighters work on putting out the remnants of the cars while the first aid responders immediately rush to Bro’s side. Dave tries to tell them all the details that he knows through his sobs but can only get so much out. Dirk takes over and includes a rundown of everyone else as well.

A flash of anger goes through Dave as he hears the other man complain about Bro being so rough with him and getting first treatment while still holding to the idea that it was the Strider car that caused the accident. The only thing that saved him from being strangled is that Bro is still in his lap. Dirk squeezes his shoulder and calmly stands.

The other man whirls on him, blaming them still with loud yells aimed directly to his face. He finally peters out as Dirk refuses to react (Dave’s hands are balled in Bro’s shirt as he gets closer and closer to lashing out).

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Dirk starts off. His voice is low and dark. “Anyone with half a brain can tell that you caused the accident. You literally hit the side of our car. But even then, even while you were yelling at our brother who has a concussion and couldn’t hear you obviously, even then, Bro saved you from the explosion that you were three feet from instead of the fifteen feet you are now. And this is how you thank the man who saved your life after threatening him and his brothers. What the hell is wrong with you?”

The man flounders with his answer. His mouth opens and closes several times, before he tries to repeat his claims, “You people ran the light!”

“Officer, will you please take our statements and any witness that will come forward and then please corresponded them to the traffic camera that is right over there? I think that one will have the best view of the accident.” Dirk relishes the way the man’s face pales at the mention of the camera.

By this time, the paramedics have assessed Bro and told Dave that it’s just a concussion and he’ll probably just wake up with a headache but they need to take him in for observation. They have the stretcher laid out next to him and gently move him over. Dave watches with wide red eyes, staying close to Bro as they move him to the back of the ambulance.

“Can I go with him? I have to go with him. He’s my brother.”

“We need to get your statement first, sir. Do you have ID?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dave fumbles a little getting his wallet out of his pocket because of his shaking hands but he hands the card to the officer. He takes a deep breath. “I was sitting in the back seat playing with the phone so I didn’t see much. But Bro hadn’t been accelerating, more braking before the intersection, and then going through the intersection. Then he yelled at me to hold on so I looked up and saw nothing really because I was looking forward and then we were hit from the side. Bro was driving. Derrick Strider, real name. He’s my older brother. Dirk was in the front seat so he’ll know more. But we were hit and pushed over. Bro had to break out through the front and then helped Dirk out. I got out and then he, don’t know his name but going to call him Old Yeller, came up and started blaming us. Bro tried to calm him down and then freaked out and told us to run. He grabbed Yeller and dragged him away and then boom. Then you guys showed up.” Dave’s almost out of breath by the time he finishes, emotion choking him up again. “That’s it. That’s it, right? I can go with him?”

“That’s it, son,” the officer passes back his ID. “Do you have someone else you can call to help?”

“Yeah other brother. Mom’s up in New York. I’ll call D. He’ll come soon. Mom’ll come too probably. Can I...”

“Go on. I’ll bring your brother soon after.”

Dave looks around the officer at Dirk who is waiting patiently. At Dirk’s nod, Dave is climbing into the car next to Bro. The paramedic driver shuts the door and they pull away with sirens going. A second ambulance has pulled up and those paramedics check Dirk and the other man out, only applying bandages when necessary.

When their accounts are taken, Dirk’s lines up with Dave's and the evidence. The man’s story is all over the place and when the officer questions him about details that don’t line up his story comes undone. There had been no light screw up. He did however have a green light but it was to go straight through the intersection, not make a left turn. Apparently he had realized that this was the street he needed and decided to take a left turn from the left lane, not the turn lane which was at yield status.

The man is still belligerent and actually tries to take a swing at Dirk, prompting his immediate arrest. The remaining officers help Dirk recover what they can out of the car which happens to include Dave’s and Bro’s phones. Dave actually still had Dirk’s phone apparently. There are a couple other nicknacks that fill a small bag. One of the officers offers to drive Dirk to the hospital which he agrees to.

* * *

When Dave and Dirk meet up at the hospital they relay what happened to each other. Dirk tells Dave that Yeller got arrested and he saved some of their stuff. Dave tells Dirk that Bro’s going to be fine, just needs to sleep off the head injury, but should wake up in a couple of hours with no issues except maybe a bit of temporary hearing problems.

Dirk collapses against Dave’s side and lets his twin comfort him as the stress and emotions finally wash through him. Once he calms down enough, they make the phone calls; first to D to get him on the first flight home (which is his own personal jet so it’s really as fast as he can get to the airport), and second to the Lalonde residence, having to verbally fence with Roxy before getting to Mom. She also promises to be there soon.

* * *

He is expecting pain when he wakes back up. But there is none. He is pretty sure that he passed out. Explosion. He remembers an explosion. He remembers someone being angry. His mind works backwards to piece together the events. Angry man trying to yell at him but no sound. Hugging his brothers. Relief. Relief because... car crash. Car crash and then explosion with the twins, told them to run, he can’t remember if they did, he can’t remember if they are safe, are they safe? They have to be. They have to be safe!

He starts, sitting up in the bed. There is a strange weight and pull on the back of his hand. It’s bright. White, lots of blurry white. He blinks a couple of times and the world focuses in. The walls are gray and plain. The bed has plastic rails and a cheap blanket tossed over him. He tries to get out of the bed. He’s obviously in a hospital. If he is in the hospital then where are the boys? Where are his brothers?

The tile is cold under his bare feet. Where are his shoes? Thankfully he still has his clothes. He stumbles a little bit and notices a plastic device strapped around a finger on the opposite hand of where the tape and tubes are chilling. He slips off the little contraption and something next to him beeps angrily. He’s a bit relieved to be hearing anything at all though, so takes it as a good sign. He makes it a few steps toward the door before the forgotten tubing attached to his other hand stop him short. The tape and attachments are too secure to just rip out so he follows the tubes to their source (a bag with a drippy thing attached to a metal pole that thankfully goes down to the floor and has wheels) and takes it with him. The IV stand squeaks as it moves with him, but it lends support and he’s thankful for the small crutch to ward of the dizziness he feels.

“Dirk! Dave! Where are you?” He reaches for the door, opens it, and steps into the hall. Steps almost directly into a nurse. “My brothers, where are my brothers?”

“Sir,” it sounds like he’s far away or talking through cotton. “Sir, you have to calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down. Where are my brothers? Where’s Dave and Dirk? Striders. Where are they?” He has no idea how loud he is but by the way the nurse cringes he assumes that he’s being too loud.

“Sir-”

“Name’s Derrick and where are my brothers?” He tries again at a lower volume.

“Bro!” He turns at his nickname and sees one of the twins running down the hall. “Bro!” He looks like he’s shouting but again the volume to Bro’s ear is wrong.

“Dave!” Bro pulls him into a tight embrace, letting the metal structure swing behind him. The nurse catches it before it tips over. “Dave, Dave, Dave.” Bro pulls back and holds him at arm’s length to look at him. He starts to pat him down.

“I’m fine. Fuck, I’m fine. Jesus, I go to the bathroom for a moment and you wake up from your fucking coma and fuck, Bro, fuck.” Great, now the both of them are crying awkwardly in the hallway. “Fuck, Bro, fuck you for being a hero.”

“Dave. Dirk?”

“He’s fine, he’s fine. He’s getting sushi with D. I was left to watch your sleeping beauty ass.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for.”

“Sirs, please be careful with the IV and can you... not in the hallway?” She gently untangles the tubing from where it had become wrapped awkwardly during their embrace.

“Yeah, yeah sure, Emily, we’ll just...” Dave pulls Bro back onto the room he stumbled out of, careful to move the fluid stand and keep it at a comfortable range and not tugging on Bro’s hand. “Damn it, Bro. You can’t scare us like that.”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry. But fuck, you’re safe.”

“We’re safe.” Dave pushes Bro back to the bed. “You sit. I’m texting everyone to let them know.”

“Everyone?” Bro asks, obeying Dave and sitting up on the edge of the bed, but he doesn’t let go of the hem of Dave’s shirt.

“As I said, D’s in town.” Dave pulls out his phone and starts tapping quickly. “And Dirk, duh. They better bring back lunch or I’ll kick their asses. Mom’s on her way.”

“Aw, y’all didn’t have to bring Mama into this.” Dave levels him a cool look. “Right. Moving on.” Bro rolls his wrist to let Dave continue.

“And I’m just updating the girls. Rose is off doing adult-y shit at college and Roxy’s left to hold down the fort.”

“Everyone’s safe.”

“Including Old Yeller.”

“Who?”

“The asshole who hit us. Not even whiplash. Arrested though. Took a swing at Dirk after the calvary arrived. We should really put him down.”

“No shit.”

“Yup. So he’s in some serious trouble and will apparently cover everything that goes on in the hospital for you so feel free to take as long as you need. And as many x-rays as it takes to develop superpowers.”

“That’s not anyone’s origin story.”

“Perfect, then it’s all yours.”

“I’d rather not.”

“Lame.” Dave puts his phone away and sits down next to Bro, leaning into him as Bro wraps an arm around his shoulder. He shifts a little bit before Dave reaches into his back pocket and pulls out another phone. Bro recognizes it after a second as his new one. He’s amazed that it survived. He takes it and changes the background quickly to something more his style before tossing to the side.

They sit in silence for a while before they hear a cry down the hallway and then the running of feet. D comes crashing through the door first, only because apparently he shoved Dirk past the door who was flailing to keep the box of sushi from tipping over.

“Bro! You’re okay.” D’s long limbs wrap around Bro’s head, pulling him into his chest. “Fuck, you’re okay, you’re awake.”

“Well he won’t be if you smother him,” Dirk comments just as Bro tries to tap out of D’s embrace, wincing hard from the pain as D seems to find every bruise on his body. The drugs must be wearing off. D quickly lets him go but pulls him right back into a looser embrace just until Dirk passes off the bag and styrofoam boxes to Dave. Then D is knocked away and replaced by Dirk. He just holds Dirk for a little bit like he had with Dave. Then he opens up his arms and pulls Dave into the embrace too with D coming over to drape over all of them, not caring at all what bruises they all hit.

“Everyone’s okay,” Bro lets out with a heavy sigh.

“Yeah, you were the worst off. Concussion and bruising and fucking passing out on us.”

“And hearing which is comin’ back.” Bro taps his ear. “Bet it’ll be fine soon.”

“Good, otherwise I’d have to look into how to make hearing aids.”

“Just imagine Hal as a hearing aid,” Dave jokes.

“No,” the other three voices chime in.

 

**Author's Note:**

> For more information please check out our work at striderclan.tumblr.com; we have more stories, head canons, art/pictures.


End file.
